Fielding target of student protests

FAMILY First Senator Steve Fielding may have to get used to
angry students camped outside his Mount Waverley office.

After casting the deciding vote in favour of voluntary student
unionism on Friday and having had his office vandalised, he has
been warned by student leaders that they will be heading his way
tomorrow.

The morally conservative eastern suburbs senator has become the
lightning rod for student anger about the new legislation.

Monash University Student Association president Nick Richardson
said a protest against the legislation was planned for
tomorrow.

"Students will be gathering in the city and at a conservative
senator's office on Monday," he said. Mr Richardson said he did not
know anything about the vandalism of Senator Fielding's office, but
believed it would have been the work of students.

Robert Nicholas, education officer for the Queensland branch of
the National Student Union, said the vandalism of Senator
Fielding's office was a legitimate expression of students' anger at
the bill.

"He has made himself a political target by voting for the
legislation so he'll have to live with the consequences," he
said.

Senator Fielding yesterday defended his decision to back the
Government's legislation and said he had made no deal with Prime
Minister John Howard.

He said he "did not believe" he had discussed the controversial
abortion drug RU486 with Mr Howard.

Senator Fielding met Mr Howard on Friday but said the abortion
drug was not raised, nor was it discussed with Mr Howard's
staff.

He said his decision to support the legislation was made at the
last minute.

Compulsory student union fees will be banned from July 1 for
domestic students but universities will still be able to charge
overseas students a compulsory services fee.

The Federal Government plans to give universities $80 million
over three years for recreational and sporting facilities, far less
than the $160 million a year universities currently collect for
services.

The office of federal Education Minister Brendan Nelson was
unable to explain on Friday which universities would receive cash
from the $80 million pot, or which services would be funded.

Senator Fielding said he could not see a contradiction in a
Family First senator supporting likely cuts for child-care services
on university campuses.

"Everyone else in the community needs to get access to child
care and they need to pay for it," he said.

The Opposition's education spokeswoman, Jenny Macklin, said the
legislation would force many parents to abandon their study because
they would not be able to pay for child care.